American Academy of Pediatrics Supports Same Gender Civil Marriage

3/21/2013For Release: March 21, 2013

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The
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports civil marriage for same-gender
couples – as well as full adoption and foster care rights for all parents,
regardless of sexual orientation – as the best way to guarantee benefits and
security for their
children.

The AAP
policy statement, “Promoting the Well-Being of Children Whose Parents Are Gay or
Lesbian,” and an accompanying technical report will be published in the April
2013 Pediatrics (published online March 21).

“Children thrive in families that are stable
and that provide permanent security, and the way we do that is through
marriage,” said Benjamin Siegel, MD, FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on
Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, and a co-author of the policy
statement. “The AAP believes there should be equal opportunity for every couple
to access the economic stability and federal supports provided to married
couples to raise children.”

In a
previous policy statement published in 2002 and reaffirmed in 2010, the AAP
supported second-parent adoption by partners of the same sex as a way to protect
children’s right to maintain relationships with both parents, eligibility for
health benefits and financial security. The 2013 policy statement and
accompanying technical report adds recommendations in support of civil marriage
for same-gender couples; adoption by single parents, co-parents or second
parents regardless of sexual orientation; and foster care placement regardless
of sexual orientation.

“The AAP
has long been an advocate for all children, and this updated policy reflects a
natural progression in the Academy’s support for families,” said Ellen Perrin,
MD, FAAP, co-author of the policy statement. “If a child has two loving and
capable parents who choose to create a permanent bond, it’s in the best interest
of their children that legal institutions allow them to do
so.”

A great
deal of scientific research documents there is no cause-and-effect relationship
between parents’ sexual orientation and children’s well-being, according to the
AAP policy. In fact, many studies attest to the normal development of children
of same-gender couples when the child is wanted, the parents have a commitment
to shared parenting, and the parents have strong social and economic support.
Critical factors that affect the normal development and mental health of
children are parental stress, economic and social stability, community
resources, discrimination, and children’s exposure to toxic stressors at home or
in their communities -- not the sexual orientation of their parents.

According to the policy statement, the AAP
“supports pediatricians advocating for public policies that help all children
and their parents, regardless of sexual orientation, build and maintain strong,
stable, and healthy families that are able to meet the needs of their children.”

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care
pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical
specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children,
adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit
www.aap.org.